A serious problem encountered by operators of hospitals, nursing homes, retirement centers and other facilities that take care of bed patients is that of patients leaving their beds and subsequently tripping or falling. Patients that are heavily medicated or sedated are particularly susceptible to falls. For these reasons much consideration has been given to systems for monitoring patients and providing a warning that a patient is in the process or has exited his or her bed.
For detailed background information relating to systems, methods and devices for monitoring bed patients, reference should be had to the following U.S. Patents:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR TITLE ______________________________________ 4,179,692 Vance Apparatus to Indicate When a Patient has Evacuated a Bed or Demonstrates a Restless Condition 4,295,133 Vance Apparatus to Indicate When a Patient has Evacuated a Bed or Demonstrates a Restless Condition 4,484,043 Musick et al Switch Apparatus Responsive to Pressure or Distortion 4,565,910 Musick et al Switch Apparatus Responsive to Distortion 4,700,180 Vance Apparatus to Indicate When a Patient has Evacuated a Bed 4,907,845 Wood Bed Patient Monitoring System 5,184,112 Gusakov Bed Patient Position Monitor 5,633,627 Newham Hard-Wired Monitoring System for Hospital Bed or Short Term Care Patients 5,654,694 Newham Mobile Battery Powered Patient Bed and Chair Occupancy Monitoring System ______________________________________